The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1887-05-28
KETCHUM ALTURAS COUNTY IDAHO SATURDAY MAY 28 1887

ID1eVc6. "A I0VOTlt0 AIuubcIIlcut
with the latter used to be to exhibit
their skill with a six-shooter, espec-
tally if tenderfeet happened to be
around.
/ remember one evening Curly
Bill got a companion of his, who
was known as Russian Bill, >"
(Bill seemed to be a favorite name
down there), to hold up dollar
between his thumb and forefinger
at a distance of over thirty PAGES
and let him shoot it from between
his fingers with his revolver. This
he did successfully three different
times. Looking on the performance
was private soldier from Fort
Bowie, who was spending a few days
leave in the camp. Curly asked
the soldier if he had grit enough to
hold up the coin for him, and the
other said he had and took up his
position. At the first shot the coin
was knocked from between his
fingers, and he was asked to hold it
up again. He held it up with his
right hand, and l noticed kind of
sardonic smile come over Curly
Bills countenance as he took aim.
At the second shot he carried away
the unfortunate mans thumb, and
putting his pistol back in the scab-
bard, cOolly remarked:
81 guess I've given yer your dis
charge in full"
On another occasion this gentle
man, being full of bad whisky. de-
termined to kill somebody, and go
ing out on the street he met a part
ner of his, known as Wild Jake.
Jake was on horseback, and what
occurred was told to me afterward
by one of the gang, in the vernacu-
lar of the frontier.
"Yer see," he said, bill lowed
that he felt like killin' something,
and when Jake came along on his
bronco Bills says, I'm going to
shoot that plug Guess yer don't.
said jake We'll, said Bill, if !
+ can't kill the plug, can kill you,
an with that he tried to pull his
gun out, but Jake got there first,
and his bullet plowed a regular
ridge in Bills skull and laid him
up for repairs. When Bill got
we'll he lowed as New Mexico
wasn't large enough to hold him
and Jake, and Jake cleared out for
, parts unknown"
Another member Of this gang
was Russian Bill. This particular
, Bill was an extraordinary charac-
: ter in every sense of the word. He
, spoke French, Russian, Spanish
and English, and was a man OF
, fine education and capable of gett-
f ing a respectable living anywhere
e Yet he voluntarily joined this gang
t Of cattle and horse-stealers, and
e eventually was lynched one night
E in Shakespeare by mob of infurl
!, ated citizens whose stock had beer
, going astray" for quite a while
With him was lynche1 a desperate
!. Young man named Sandy" King
Young King was boy not more
e than %. who, as they laconlcally
: observed on the frontier. wanted t1
b be bad. but didn't know how.
G He was the only member of tn
{ gang that the authorities susceedee
Y in landing i'm the county Jail, ant
!. the remarkable thing about it wa
$ that this was mainly the work of
Il tenderfoot. Sandy had come int
l. town one day by himself to blov
d in his money on red liquor, and
:. having load on board. walked In
r to the general store of Shakespeare
). which was kept by one o. Il. Smyth
e Symth had a young tenderfoo
s named Moss, who had just arrived
g from St. Louis, clcrking for him. IL
e asked the young fellow to shov
= him some silk hankerchiefs
O selected one, tied it loosely aroun'
n his neck, and was about to leav
n when the clerk asked him to pa.
If for his purchase. Sandy, at tn
II word, whipped out his gun and ex
|, climed: al guess I'll pay you i
n lead" The tenderfoot, however
k was not quite as verdant as b
& seemed, and before Sandy had tn
j words we'll out of his mouth h
. fred at him with little 22-calibe
nistol. That is the kind of to
# that when you show it to a ma
- :, ON the frontier he Recommend
,' = YOU never to use it, because
- one of the balls in it hit fellow
.. NAV make him vexed and he ma
70 hurt you." Fortunately for youn
70 20 Moss it hit Sandy right in the uppe
- - part of the spine, near the base {
- = the brain, and dropped him on tn
20 % SPOT. Whitehill was in town
10 the time, and he arrested Sand.
~ ~ and after he was brought to n
- senses turned him over to me
20 bring him up to Silver City.
= For this little joke he spent
T. month in the county Jail, and whe
- - he was released l cautioned M
;;S not to return to Shakespeare if
~ L.. o,,< of tho handa